California

Meet Walter

Workforce Challenge

By mid-August 2013, Walter had been out of work for over a year. He came to Goodwill Metro North WorkSource Center, met with a career advisor, and was soon enrolled in the Back 2 Work LA Initiative (B2W), which is funded by the MultiSector Workforce Partnership (NEG) grant.

Workforce Solution

Under the B2W program, Walter received case management, placement assistance, workshops, and employment preparation resources. Walter was concerned his age would be a factor in finding work but he was willing to keep searching. A job developer met with Walter to help identify current open positions that would be appropriate for Walter's skillset.

Outcomes & Benefits

Walter found a part-time position with the City of Long Beach. He wrote in a letter, “I’m enjoying the new job quite a bit. I have a great office and my co-workers are great. The work is not too difficult and working 3 days a week right now is perfect. I’m very thankful and fortunate for this opportunity."

All of Walter's networking paid off again when he was contacted by a former supervisor who was heading up a small team of consultants to do part time contract work in community outreach and transportation planning for the City of Montebello. Walter is waiting to hear the results of that interview, and in the meantime, is happy to be back at work.